University of California Partners with Fudan University to Establish Center on China

The new center will focus on China studies and will be located on the campus of UC San Diego

The School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) at UC San Diego.

Fudan University in Shanghai, China is partnering with the University of California to establish a Fudan-UC center to foster academic exchange and collaborative research on China. The center, a first-of-its-kind internationalization initiative made by a major Chinese university, will be located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego, hosted by the campus’ School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS).

“This center will provide superb opportunities for students in Chinese studies at the University of California,” said UC President Mark G. Yudof. “Besides the many long-term benefits for faculty, students and researchers across the UC system, it will cement our relationship with one of the University’s most valuable partners in China.”

Although the center will have its headquarters at UC San Diego, it will serve all UC campuses by providing lectures, symposia, access to databases and more to researchers on the 10 campuses.

“The establishment of the UC-Fudan center is an exceptional achievement because the study of the U.S.-China relationship has never been more important,” said Peter Cowhey, dean of IR/PS. “China is a rising power and how the two countries engage will determine the future direction of world politics.”

Fudan University, which is host to the UC’s Education Abroad Program, is a top university in China, ranked 11 by academic reputation in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2012 Asia University Ranking.

“This is a remarkable opportunity to build a China studies platform for both Chinese and American scholars,” said vice-president of Fudan University Lin Shangli. “It will form a network for communication and international academic exchange on the study of China.”

The center will work closely with IR/PS’s 21st Century China Program, which serves as an international hub for policy-relevant research and for interactive and scholarly engagement with China.

“The Fudan-UC center will be a boon to the field of China studies at the University of California. It will help advance collaborative research by scholars from the two university systems and facilitate the two-way communication between the U.S. and China,” said Lei Guang, director of the 21st Century China Program at UC San Diego. “IR/PS is an established leader in the field with its focus on China. The center will further the global reputation and academic excellence of Fudan University and the University of California.”

The UC-Fudan center will include a library of books and journals produced by faculty at Fudan and databases on Chinese society studies and economy. Planned activities will include regular lectures and research colloquia on China involving faculty from various UC campuses.